UNIVERSITY of PENNSYLVANIA

Tuesday,September 18, 2001Volume 48 Number 4www.upenn.edu/almanac/

IN THIS ISSUE2 Dealing with the National Tragedy3 Recovering From Trauma, Loss & Disasters4 Responding to Terrorism Symposium10 QOWL Workshops; Penn Family Day;

Careers in Academe; International Exchanges11 Update; CrimeStats; Classifieds12 The Event that Will Define a Generation

The Wharton School has announced the creation of the Alfred West Jr. Learning Lab with a $10-million gift from Alfred P. West, Jr., chairman and CEO of SEI Investments. The Alfred West Jr.Learning Lab will create a series of innovative learning tools that challenge students to thinkstrategically across business functions and organizations.

“Al West’s commitment will enable Wharton to take a leadrole in rethinking the learning paradigm,” said Dean Patrick T.Harker. “There is tremendous potential for us to reach a deeperunderstanding of how people learn and to push that process to ahigher level using advancements in technology and learningscience. Al has been a pioneer in creating the innovative corpo-rate culture and new management models that have formed thefoundation for the success of SEI Investments. Now, he’ll lead increating a new academic culture as we create new learning models.”

The Alfred West Jr. Learning Lab will draw on the creativeexpertise of faculty leaders and professionals to innovate, studyand experiment with learning throughout all of the School’sdegree and non-degree programs. “On a broader scale, theAlfred West Jr. Learning Lab’s technology-enhanced materialsand world-class research on learning will contribute to academiaand industry worldwide,” said Dean Harker. “Beyond the im-pact to Wharton and Penn, the outcomes of the Alfred West Jr.Learning Lab will be applicable to corporate and governmenttraining programs, as well as collegiate and secondary educa-tion.”

The Alfred West Jr. Learning Lab will be co directed byWharton’s Andrew B. Abel, Robert Morris Professor of Bank-ing, and Robert W. Holthausen, Nomura Securities Co. Professor. They will work closely with anexternal advisory board of thought leaders to develop new learning modules and assessment tools.Advisory board members include Mr. West, John Seely Brown, chief scientist of Xerox andfounding member of 12 Entrepreneuring, Mike Zisman, vice president of emerging businessdevelopment at IBM, Elizabeth Daley, dean of the School of Cinema/TV and executive director ofthe Annenberg Center at the University of Southern California, Hal Abelson, professor at M.I.T.,Patrick Harker, dean of the Wharton School, and Wharton Professor Jerry Wind, director of the SEICenter for Advanced Studies in Management.

When deployed in the curriculum, these interactive learning applications will add value tostudents’ learning experiences by allowing them to participate fully in their own educationalprocess, both within and outside of the classroom. The research and product creation that will resultfrom the Alfred West Jr. Learning Lab will advance several strategic goals, including:

• Strengthening Wharton’s ability to fulfill its mission to innovate through curricular advancementsand the exploitation of opportunities made possible by evolving technology;

• Fostering a deeper understanding of how people learn throughout academia and industry;• Developing a new “learner-centric” management education paradigm, helping to ensure Wharton’s

leadership and commitment to excellence in today’s competitive educational market;• Establishing new methodologies and metrics for testing the effectiveness in achieving learning

objectives;• Creating products and knowledge that will be used throughout management worldwide; and• Continuing to promote bold experimentation in learning.“I am delighted to have the opportunity to help Wharton push the boundaries of business

education as we know it,” said Mr. West. “One of the School’s greatest strengths is its intellectualleadership, and I am confident that the Learning Lab will set the standard for ground-breakingresearch on learning and for technology-enhanced education.”

The gift directly supports the strategic priorities of the Wharton School’s Campaign forSustained Leadership, a $425-million fundraising initiative, and the Agenda for Excellence, whichidentifies key priorities for the University.

Mr. West founded Simulated Environments, Inc., the forerunner to SEI Investments, in 1968while he was a Wharton MBA student. Today, with more than 1,700 employees worldwide, theOaks, Pennsylvania-based SEI Investments (NASDAQ:SEIC), is a leading global provider of assetmanagement and investment technology solutions. The company’s innovative solutions helpcorporations, financial institutions, financial advisors, and affluent families create and managewealth. SEI (as of June 30, 2001) processes over $1.5 trillion of investment transactions daily,administers more than $300 billion in mutual fund and pooled assets, manages almost $80 billionin assets and operates 25 offices in 11 countries.

In addition to his role with SEI Investments, Mr. West is chairman of Wharton’s SEI Center forAdvanced Studies in Management, from which the idea for the Learning Lab was developed. Mr.West also is a member of the School’s Graduate Executive Board.

Alfred West, Jr. $10-Million Gift: Learning Lab

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The Stars and Stripes on Penn’s campus—likeAmerican flags all over the United States—flew at half-mast in memory of all who losttheir lives in last Tuesday’s terrorist attacks,at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon andin rural western Pennsylvania.

Alfred West Jr.

ALMANAC September 18, 20012 www.upenn.edu/almanac

MORE TO WR|ITE

This is a terrible, dark time for America, ananxious time for our extended Penn family, anda sad time for humanity.

Thousands of innocent lives—each one irre-placeable and precious—were taken in a waveof evil and destruction that we still are strugglingto comprehend.

Many of us will know people whose liveshave been taken or will be forever altered.

Today, we unite in mourning their deaths,and we pray for their families and the injured tofind the strength to pick up the pieces of theirshattered lives and carry on.

Gone, too, is the sense of invincibility inwhich we took our personal safety and nationalsecurity pretty much for granted.

Now, we must learn the hard way that we cantake nothing for granted—that life and everything we truly hold dear in life are gifts tonourish and cherish, for they can all vanish thenext instant.

Today, we are experiencing a range of emo-tions all strained to maximum pitch. Evil againhas been loosed upon the world, this time in ourown backyard that we thought was secure.

We are filled with shock, anger, despair,anxiety, confusion, and grief—a brew of under-standable reactions that challenges our spiritualbeliefs and civic values.

However, I have seen members of the Penncommunity and Americans everywhere affirmthose beliefs and values by unleashing the great-est weapon against evil: our humanity.

I see emergency personnel risk their lives torescue fellow citizens by the thousands.

I see our entire Penn community standingtogether as one family—each of us reaching outto help a friend or stranger in pain or need.

Through each act or gesture of our humanity,we take one step toward resisting evil and heal-ing the wounds that evil has inflicted on ourcountry and world.

The course of America’s history has changedforever.

The world we knew before the awful eventsof September 11, 2001, is gone. But we have thepower to transmute the most horrific nationalcatastrophe into a resolve for moral action thatestablishes the primacy of goodness in the world.

We can and we will emerge from this ordealsadder, to be sure, but richer in compassion andwisdom, and more determined to affirm the bestof our common humanity.

We come together to mourn.We stand together…To heal.We leave together a community.

— President Judith Rodin

Gathering for RemembranceLast Wednesday, the University community

gathered together in Irvine Auditorium for asolemn ceremony to remember the thousandsof victims of the terrorist attacks. Not only wasIrvine filled to capacity with over 1,200students, faculty and staff, but hundreds morelistened from the Perelman Quad as fluteselections by Kristen Wermuth filled the air.A dozen members of the Glee Club then sangNew Jerusalem. Chaplain Will Gipson gavethe Invocation, then called upon three reli-gious leaders to give their reflections on faith:Rabbi Howard Alpert, Hillel; Imam KennethNur-id Din, Majlis Ash-Shura; and FatherCharles Pfeffer, Newman Hall. Remarks(below) from President Rodin were followedby more music from two more student groups,Inspiration and Quaker Notes. After thebenediction by Chaplain Gipson, there was awell attended reception in Houston Hall.

Emergency Information: Message from Public SafetyA Message to the University Community,

The safety and security of the Penn community is of paramount importance to each and every memberof the Division of Public Safety. In response to Tuesday’s tragic events, the Division of Public Safety hastaken extra measures to ensure the safety of our community. The University Police Department will befully staffed until further notice. We have taken measures to secure our entire campus, utilizing both policeand security personnel. We would like to extend our sincere appreciation to the University communityfor the cooperation and response we have received during these troubling times.

Additionally, we would like to take this opportunity to revisit best security practices to befollowed at all times:

• Report any suspicious packages, threatening phone calls, or e-mails to the UPPD by calling511 from any campus phone or by calling (215) 573-3333 from any off-campus phone.

• If you observe any suspicious behavior by persons in or around campus buildings, call theUPPD or report the activity by using the nearest Blue Light Emergency phone. For additionalinformation on these and other security measures, please visit the University’s emergency informa-tion website at www.upenn.edu/emergencyinfosite/. In particular, please review the protocol forsuspicious packages as well as the checklist for telephone threats.

Thank you for your cooperation during these trying times.—Maureen Rush, Vice President for Public Safety —Thomas Rambo, Chief of Police

What the Penn Community Can Do to HelpTo Members of the University Community,

The Penn community—along with the rest of the nation—is reeling in theaftermath of one of the most horrific attacks ever against the United States. Manyof us want to do something to help, but aren’t sure what to do.

Here are some options:A special table was set up, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., starting September 14, in Houston Hall to collect

donations for the American Red Cross. Checks should be made out to the American Red CrossDisaster Relief Fund. Over $7,700 was donated by the Penn community on Friday.

You can also make a financial donation at www.redcross-philly.org or by calling 1-866-272-7372. Contributions can also be sent to the American Red Cross, 23rd and Chestnut Streets,Philadelphia, PA 19103.

Blood donations are also needed and can be arranged by contacting: www.pleasegiveblood.orgor by calling 1-800-448-3543.

Student and faculty and staff volunteer efforts are being coordinated through Civic House (seebelow), the Undergraduate Assembly and Greek organizations, among others. Representatives fromthese organizations will be staffing a table in Houston Hall.

—John Fry, Executive Vice President

Counseling Services for Penn Faculty and StaffThe Division of Human Resources reminds faculty, staff and their families that counse-

lors are available through the Employee Assistance Program at 1-888-321-4433. The Em-ployee Assistance Program, through PENN-Friends, provides free, confidential counselingfor faculty, staff and their family members.

If Schools, Centers or Departments would like to have group counseling sessions withthe assistance of an Employee Assistance Program professional, please contact the Divisionof Human Resources at (215) 898-6018.

Please see the emergency information site at www.upenn.edu/emergencyinfosite/ or theDivision of Human Resources website at www.hr.upenn.edu for additional information re-garding coping with traumatic situations.

Also, on September 20, from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., the Quality of Worklife Workshop willbe focussed on Dealing With Uncertainty, Room 311, Houston Hall.

To Members of the Penn Community,In response to September 11th’s tragic events, there has been an outpouring of concern through

a variety of means, ranging from blood donations to financial contributions, and more. The Ameri-can Red Cross has also been eager to make use of people offering themselves as volunteers, but theextent of the emergency has made it difficult to identify specific local opportunities to help.

In partnership with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Red Cross, we areeager to help connect Penn students, faculty, and staff who are interested involunteering, particularly in the next few days. There are immediate needs forvolunteers over the next few days at two Philadelphia sites: their Center CityCommunity Donor Center at 7th & Spring Garden Streets, and their RegionalHeadquarters at 23rd & Chestnut Streets.

Given the tremendous number of people who have called the Red Cross tooffer support, the organization desperately needs people to help at these two sites. Volunteers aremainly needed to assist with answering phones and data entry.

We expect to hear from the Red Cross about future opportunities, and will keep the Penn com-munity informed as we learn more. Thank you in advance for your help.

—Isabel Mapp, Associate Director, Faculty, Staff and Alumni Volunteer Services/Director, Penn Volunteers In Public Service, Center for Community Partnerships

To Share Information About Penn Family and FriendsPenn’s Alumni Relations has provided links from their website at www.alumni.upenn.edu/

to some official websites that enable people to share news about those directly affected by theterrorist attacks. The resources are University of California, Berkeley; World Trade CenterSurvivor Database; and White House website.

ALMANAC September 18, 2001 3www.upenn.edu/almanac

Helping Family Members and FriendsSometimes it is difficult to know what to do or say to somebody who

has just survived a traumatic event. Supporting a person following suchan event can be stressful for the helper. In general, it is important to beavailable to the survivor and to let the person know that you care. Spendingtime with the traumatized person is also a basic, but important way to help.

Offer your assistance and a listening ear if they have not asked for help.Talking is the most healing medicine. Try to be patient if the person tellsthe same story over and over again; this is normal and can also be healing.

Here are some more suggestions for helping:• listen carefully• help them with everyday tasks like cleaning, cooking, caring for the

family helping with the children• give them some private time• don’t take their anger or other feelings personally• don’t minimize the loss• avoid giving clichés or easy answers• don’t tell them that they are “lucky” (that it could be worse, that they have

another daughter, etc.) traumatized people do not feel consoled by thesetypes of statements

• be patient• avoid judgmental statements• avoid telling them how they feel• help them find and utilize outside resources (books, support groups,

professionals, government aid, workshops, other friends)In our quest to help the survivors, we must not forget that we cannot

take care of others if we are not taking care of ourselves. You may needthe opportunity to express your emotions and to turn to other friends orfamily members for support.If Problems Persist or if You Have Questions about Your Reactions

When these or other symptoms persist, increase in number or degree ofseverity to the point of interfering with personal functioning and/or aresubjectively distressing, professional counseling or joining a supportgroup may be helpful. If you are not sure whether you would benefit fromadditional assistance, it is better to consult a mental health professionalthan to do nothing or to guess.

Counseling can help you address and understand your feelings, helpyou identify normal reactions to crisis situations, and help you look at howyour life and relationships have been impacted. It can also help you learnstress management techniques and sharpen your coping skills.

Support groups can help you feel less isolated since group membersshare similar experiences. Group members can often support and under-stand each other in special ways because of their common experiences.They share information about recovery and special ways of coping.

Finding support in general can help you feel like a survivor rather thanlike a victim.

—Adapted from “Surviving Trauma,”Temple University Counseling Services, Philadelphia, PA

and Jeffrey Mitchell’s “Model of Critical Incident Stress Debriefing”

Counseling and Psychological ServicesCounseling and Psychological Services offers a wide range of

confidential services to Penn students including individual, couples,and group counseling/therapy, crisis intervention, structured work-shops, career and psychological testing, and consultation. Bro-chures and workshop flyers are available at the office and at variouslocations on campus. Appointments can be made by phone at (215)898-7021 or in person. A counselor is available weekdays foremergency consultation for faculty, staff or parents who are con-cerned about a student.

Counseling and Psychological Services is open Monday -Fri-day, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. In case of emergencies, walk-in services areavailable during office hours and off hours (including weekends)call the hospital operator at the UPHS (215) 349-5490 and ask tospeak to the CAPS counselor on-call.

—Ilene C. Rosenstein, Director, CAPS

Recovering from Trauma, Loss & Disasters

The following is from a new booklet prepared and distributed last week byPenn’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) to provide assistanceto the campus community in dealing with the national tragedy.

What to Expect After a Traumatic Event or DisasterDisasters or traumatic events can affect all of us. They are dramatic and

intense experiences that can cause major interruptions in the natural flowof life. Knowing the kinds of feelings and reactions that may occurfollowing such events can assist in putting feelings in perspective and canhelp you make the transition from victim to survivor.

The emotional effects of these events may show up immediately or theymay appear weeks, even months later. The signs and symptoms ofemotional aftershock may last a few days, a few weeks, or a few monthsand occasionally longer. Sometimes, the traumatic event is so painful thatprofessional assistance from a counselor may be necessary. This does notimply insanity or weakness, but rather, that the particular event was justtoo powerful for the person to manage alone.Common Reactions to Stressful or Traumatic Situations

It is very common and quite normal to experience reactions afterpassing through a horrible event. Some reactions are emotional, some arephysical and some cognitive thought processes. The following are com-mon emotional and cognitive reactions:

shock hopelessnessanger numbnessself-pity inability to copedisbelief griefpreoccupation sadnesspanic desire to avoid situationtearfulness feeling overwhelmedstunned irritabilityconfusion self-blamefatigue fearnightmares lonelinessremorse flashbacks of eventsisolation relationship problemsmemory problems difficulty concentratingintrusive thoughts/images guilt

Common Physical ReactionsSome people tend to express their reactions through physical symp-

toms including:headachesaches and painsovereating

Trauma and a Sense of LossPeople traumatized by events or disasters often experience a pervasive

sense of loss:loss of feeling safe, loss of friends, loss of hope, loss of personal power, lossof identity/future, loss of trust in others, loss of home/belongings.Grief is a normal and natural response to loss and anyone can experi-

ence grief and loss. Individual reactions to grief and loss can very widely,and the same person may experience different reactions to a sense of lossover time.Recovering from Trauma, Loss and Disasters

Experiencing and accepting the natural responses described aboverepresents an important part of the recovery process. Try to remember:You are having a normal reaction to an abnormal event! Here are someadditional tips for dealing with your reactions:

• talk openly about your feelings and symptoms• pay attention to healthy diet• engage in physical activity• maintain contact with friends and supports• share memories• tell stories• rehearse safety measures to be taken in the future• meditate• try deep breathing and other relaxation techniques• be aware of numbing the pain with overuse of drugs and alcohol• maintain as normal a schedule as possible• keep a journal• do things that feel good to you• don’t make any big life changes

loss of appetitevomitingsleep disorders

gastrointestinal disordersdecreased performance levelsincreased ailments over the next 6-18months (colds, hypertension)

ALMANAC September 18, 20014 www.upenn.edu/almanac

The School of Arts and Sciences hosted a faculty symposium, Responding to Terrorism, in Irvine Auditorium last week,drawing a full house.

“We thought under the circumstances that it would be useful to bring some of the collective wisdom of the faculty tobear on the critically important events of the week. We will continue to have these kinds of discussions,” said PresidentJudith Rodin in opening the symposium.

She introduced the speakers: Brendan O’Leary, Department of Political Science, focusing on European precedents;Arthur Waldron, Department of History, focusing on international military and diplomatic issues; Seth Kreimer, LawSchool, focusing on civil liberties; Ian Lustick and Robert Vitalis, Department of Political Science, focusing on MiddleEastern politics in the international context. President Judith Rodin moderated the panel.

Questions they discussed included:How should we, personally and collectively, respond to the recent tragedies in New York City and Washington, D.C.?What can we do to prevent future events of this nature?Are international covenants likely to be effective?What can we learn from other countries’ experience in dealing with terrorism?What are the dangers to our society of overreaction? underreaction?

Responding to Terrorism SymposiumSeptember 13, 2001

Brendan O’Leary is Professor of PoliticalScience and Chair of the Department ofGovernment at the London School of Economicsand Political Science. We are delighted to haveProfessor O’Leary as a Visiting Professor in ourDepartment of Political Science this year and Iwant to personally welcome you to the University.Professor O’Leary is a world-renowned expert onnationalism and ethnic conflict and has writtenextensively on hostilities in Northern Ireland. Notonly is he a prolific author, he has worked as abroadcaster and in advisory capacities togovernments and political parties.

International ImpactI deeply regret that the first occasion that I

speak publicly at Penn should be in the aftermathof these appalling atrocities. These atrocitieshave affected all of us—for example, the nieceof the friend I stayed with in Vermont, beforecoming here, is missing. And, these atrocitiesare not just national, they are international. Thevictims were international (two of the planeflight victims were from the city of my birth), thecauses were very likely international, and theimpact will be international. This is not justabout America or ‘America under attack’.

We must all think, and not be driven by ourimmediate collective passions, not least becausethese will have been anticipated. We must think,and avoid words like ‘senseless’ and ‘mind-less’—which only show our bewilderment.

Who did this? No one here knows for certain.Discussions of the usual suspects fill the air-waves, but we lack certainty. We know it ishighly unlikely to have been a government, orauthorized by a government. The risks of anAmerican and NATO counter-reaction wouldhave been too high for any barely rational gov-ernment.

We know that it was organized: planned,trained for, and executed with remarkable effi-ciency—it seems that only heroic resistance onthe plane that crashed in Pennsylvania preventedall these missions’ objectives from being whollyfulfilled.

But, what was the purpose of these missions?These are dumb crimes, by which I mean thatthese atrocities have so far not been justified byspeech, by arguments explaining why the rel-evant organization carried out these deeds. Thinkabout this.

The political violence of nationalist move-ments is almost automatically accompanied byclaims of responsibility. ‘We did this to remove

your empire, and its soldiers from our land.’ Weare familiar with these voices, and when we arenot from the relevant empires we may bothunderstand and sympathize with them.

The political violence of secular ideologicalmovements is also replete with words, whetherthese movements be fascist or anti-capitalist.They name their targets, explain why they areenemies, and glory in their successes.

Nationalist movements use violence instru-mentally, to break the will of the empire thatholds them. They may engage symbolic targets,but usually conduct their warfare to avoid delib-erate civilian casualties, because they wish towin support for their actions in their constituen-cies, and externally. They try, fitfully, to fightjust wars. If they don’t, they erode their ownsupport bases.

Secular ideological movements are usuallyweaker than nationalist movements—indeed,the weaker a nationalist movement is, the morelikely it is deeply ideological. Ideological secu-lar terrorists rarely enjoy mass, active or diffusesupport—as we know from post-war Germanyand Italy. They use violence symbolically—hitting centers of power to deflate and humiliatethe incumbents, to show their vulnerability.

Many of you will have concluded that thesesuicide missions were ideological—and you maybe correct. The Pentagon, the World Trade Cen-ter, and the White House—that was not hit,respectively symbolize the military, financialand executive power of the United States. But,perhaps that is not the whole story.

These acts have not been publicly justified —why not?

Is it the prudence of the organization’s lead-ers? Is it to avoid the consequences of a U.S. andNATO ‘search and destroy’ mission of possiblyapocalyptic proportions?

Is it to avoid antagonizing those who harborthem—to use President Bush’s ambiguousphrase? These explanations have certain plausi-bility.

But, it is also possible that these acts have notbeen justified, because they are considered self-evidently right, a mass killing of personnel whoman the institutions of evil—in which case theseacts have been religious in character: value-rational, not instrumentally rational; the acts ofholy crusaders, and not of those who negotiate,albeit with menaces.

I say this not to be provocative, but to ask youto think about how these suicide killers might

have seen their actions.For make no mistake. This was not another

Pearl Harbor—as many fools, including Dr.Kissinger, have thoughtlessly said. No plan ofterritorial seizure accompanies these atrocities:no government, no ambition of conquest, exceptperhaps moral conquest.

The people who organized these atrocitieswere probably motivated by the world-religionthat is most secularization-resistant, and fromthe peoples who feel most humiliated and out-raged by western power, and its leading state, theUnited States of America.

If this is so, it should make us think. The USA& NATO and their allies cannot sensibly go towar against Islam, or against Islamic believers,and to start to engage in public discourse of thattype would simply make it more likely to lead toextensive repetitions of what has just occurred.

Having come from a part of the world thatmay just be coming out of thirty years of politicalviolence, of a nationalist rather than of a reli-gious character, let me suggest some things thatshould be thought about in three domains.

First, think about appropriate external policy.These acts were criminal: they have violatedboth U.S. law, and international law. The U.S.must organize with its allies to bring the perpe-trators to justice—using all the savvy and skillsof which America is capable.

But, think carefully before supporting large-scale retaliatory jihads—recall that at least twicein recent memory the wrong locations have beenhit by U.S. forces, and the wrong peoples havebeen aerially murdered.

I do not speak as a pacifist: I welcome aninterventionist America, from the Balkans toAfrica, depending, of course, upon the purposesof the interventions. But, through rage, an in-censed America may act against its long-termvalues and interests. Killing civilians is wrong,and that applies both to terrorists and to govern-ments—and governments are generally the big-gest killers of all.

In the medium and longer term, the US mustalso appraise its policies in the Middle East andthe Islamic worlds—these are, of course, nothomogenous territories, and policy has not beenhomogenous or consistent. But, it must be askedwhy hatred of the U.S. is so fierce in theselocations. It is, of course, true, that these hatredsare not spontaneous, and often have little basis infact. They are often irrational, and the USA isscapegoated and demonized absurdly. But, U.S.

SAS Symposium on Terrorism

ALMANAC September 18, 2001 5www.upenn.edu/almanac

Arthur Waldron is Lauder Professor ofInternational Relations and a member of ourHistory Department. Professor Waldron joinedPenn’s faculty in 1998 after leaving the NavalWar College where he was Professor ofStrategy and Policy. Professor Waldron haswritten extensively on Chinese history andChina’s place in the world during the first halfof the 20th century. But, he has larger interestsin the subject of war and offers popularundergraduate courses in warfare and theimpact of war from ancient times to the present.

Mililary Aspect of TerrrorismTerrorism has many aspects: it has social and

political roots and connections that make it in-separable from larger problems of social equity.I could talk about all of that but my colleagueswill do far better. So I will limit my own remarksto the military aspect of terrorism—that is, whatkind of a use of violence is it, what are its effects,how is it to be dealt with?

Let me say that this was probably the mostimpressive act of terrorism in history, so far. Tar-gets of great symbolic and practical significancewere hit and destroyed, thousands of people werekilled—and all of this was done in complete se-crecy. Total surprise was achieved. Furthermore,the sword was borrowed. No need to smuggleexplosives: these were supplied courtesy ofAmerican and United Airlines in the unparalleledprecision operation of the simultaneous hijack-ing of four airliners—using box cutters andknives.

Most impressively, this was the work of ahandful of people. Perhaps fifty at the most, Ithink. Had they come out and fought in conven-tional fashion, we would have had no need evenfor the U.S. Army or the National Guard. Theywould have been no match for the New YorkCity Police Department.

But the terrorists this week did not accom-modate us. They fought unconventionally, orasymmetrically, if you will, inflicting dispropor-tionate damage and—as is obvious—creating anational and international effect the immensesize of which is entirely disproportionate to theirnumbers.

And this is the first point about terrorism. Itis the weapon of the few, or of the weak. It is amultiplier, a way of increasing the influence ofthose who resort to it, not by dint of logic oreven the justice of their appeal, but by the sheerdisproportionate amount of harm they cause.

It used to be that the need for secrecy andtherefore to keep numbers very small limited the

foreign policy before and after the Cold War haspropped up authoritarian regimes. And it has, tothe abiding humiliation of the Islamic world,supported Israel, right or wrong—and Israel isnot always right.

Second, think about being normal as a way ofstanding up for yourself and your values. Be nor-mal, as much as possible. Do not let your normalrhythms be disrupted. You are still more likely tobe killed on the road, or by a fellow citizen than byexternally organized paramilitaries. Keep a senseof proportion, despite the magnitude of the horrorsunfolding. Don’t close universities—make themplaces where people talk and argue about thesequestions; don’t run extra fire-drills that drag vis-iting professors from their slumbers; don’t encour-age mass anxiety—there will be enough of it.

Third, there must be much thought aboutbetter internal prevention in the USA—prevent-ing such things from happening, or from soeasily happening again. That will involve secu-rity measures.

Your airports, domestically, are the laxestthat I have experienced—that is because yourdecision-makers have put commerce ahead ofpersonal security, and because they have chosennot to have rail networks that would make youless dependent upon planes. Be prepared toargue for slower planes and more trains.

Your immigration and border-controls, andinternal surveillance mechanisms, must no doubtbe enhanced. But, be careful; make sure that youdo not suffer from the illusion of fortressAmerica. Prevention is very difficult. And avoidantagonizing your Canadian and Mexicanneighbours—who have also lost co-nationals.

Above all, ensure that your internal controlsand surveillance do not lead to witch-hunts ofthose associated with ‘harbouring’ activities, orto special emergency regimes of detention. Thisis right, because it is right—the human rights ofall should be protected. But, it is also prudent—if you make whole populations the targets ofyour security policies they will be less likely toco-operate with you voluntarily.

On Monday, over 99.9999 per cent of Ameri-cans of Islamic faith or of Arabic or CentralAsian origin would have co-operated in report-ing to the authorities anything they knew ofthese planned atrocities. The test of a goodsecurity policy is that they will feel exactly thesame way in the future. Do not do to Muslim andArab Americans what was done to JapaneseAmericans after Pearl Harbor.

Protect your human rights protections, be-cause they are your human rights protections.

military effectiveness of terrorists. All a few mencould do was throw a few bombs or, if lucky,kill someone important. That was the caricature“mad bomber” of the end of the nineteenth cen-tury, when there was a wave of politically de-stabilizing assassinations and other terrorist acts.But if those terrorists had grown bigger—if theyhad tried to form a true private army—they couldeasily be infiltrated and dealt with.

Today, however, largely as a result of tech-nological advances and a degree of sponsorshipby a network of states, terrorists have far moreresources. They have easy access to explosivesuch as Semtex, invented in Czechoslovakia dur-ing the period of Soviet occupation, and almostimpossible to detect. Even a semi-competentamateur drug chemist can easily produce toxinssuch as Sarin and Ricin, which can kill thou-sands—released, for example, into a subway.They have far more money than ever before,from oil and narcotics and friendly governments,and a whole series of states within which theycan move without being challenged. Some haveanti-aircraft missiles. Ballistic missiles andweapons of mass destruction, not just nuclearweapons but things like anthrax bacilli, are next.I suspect many of you here today will, in thecourse of your lives, witness far more horribleacts of destruction even than those we saw onTuesday.

Now if this is perhaps the most impressiveact of terrorism in history so far, it is also per-haps the most catastrophic American intelligencefailures since Pearl Harbor. How was it we hadno clue what was about to hit us? For the bestway to stop terrorism is not through securitymeasures, identity screening, posting of guards,etc. It is by intelligence and advanced warning,“foreknowledge” as the great Chinese strategistSun Zi wrote:

Now the reason the enlightened prince andthe wise general conquer the enemy wheneverthey move and their achievements surpass thoseof ordinary men is foreknowledge. What iscalled foreknowledge cannot be elicited fromspirits, nor from gods, nor by analogy with pastevents, nor from calculations. It must be ob-tained from men who know the enemy situa-tion. [ Art of War, tr. Griffith, XIII.3-4].That is to say, you need men on the spot, in-

filtrators, spies. And here we are woefully inad-equate. Listen to these remarks by one intelli-gence specialist:

The CIA probably doesn’t have a singletruly qualified Arabic-speaking officer ofMiddle Eastern background who can play abelievable Muslim fundamentalist who would

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Seth Kreimer is a Professor in the Law Schoolwho is an expert on constitutional law andcivil liberties and individual rights. He is amember of the Board of the American CivilLiberties Union and consults for organizationssuch as the Lawyers Committee for CivilRights under Law, the Mayor’s Committee onthe Homeless, the Juvenile Law Center andthe Women’s Law Project. Professor Kreimeris the winner of numerous teaching awardsincluding the Lindback Award forDistinguished Teaching at Penn.Protecting Liberty

Friends, we come together at a time when oursociety has been horrified by an attack on theUnited States, unprecedented in my lifetime,almost unprecedented in our history. Americahas been wounded; we mourn, we rage, wedemand a response. I have no doubt that ourresponse will and should come, and when itcomes it will and should be forceful, sustainedand effective.

My hope in these minutes is to raise with youthe concern, rooted both in my commitment toour constitutional values and in my study of ourconstitutional history that America’s defense

volunteer to spend years of his life with shittyfood and no women in the mountains of Af-ghanistan. For Christ’s sake, most case officerslive in the suburbs of Virginia. We don’t do thatkind of thing. [Reuel Marc Gerecht, a formersenior Near East Division operative, quoted inthe Financial Times, 12 September, 2001, p.14]I had the honor last year and earlier this year

of serving as a member of the top secret investi-gative commission led by General Tilelli, formerArmy Commander in Korea, and established bythe Director of Central Intelligence, George Te-net at Congressional insistence, to review theCIA’s work on China. We could look at anythingwe wanted and more or less roam at will—andalthough the report remains Top Secret, pressreports suggest that it was very negative and un-favorable to the Agency.

Obviously, I can’t comment on that but I dobelieve that our intelligence agencies have twoproblems, neither of which is directly budgetrelated. The first is a preference for technicalmeans—i.e. satellites, communications monitor-ing, and so forth, which produces vast amountsof material. The second is a failure sufficientlyto emphasize “humint”—human intelligence—which, as Sun Zi correctly observes, is the onlyway to judge your adversary’s intent.

If I were president right now, I would im-mediately replace the current Director of Cen-tral Intelligence with someone equipped to doat the Agency what Mr. Rumsfeld is attemptingat the Pentagon: namely, a long overdue house-cleaning, from top to bottom. In particular Iwould emphasize the need for brainpower, ratherthan manpower alone, and attempt to revive theDirectorate of Operations.

That said, what do we do?The temptation is to do something: as they

say, to “take the gloves off.” But no such optionexists and attempts to do so will only makethings worse. Here I would point out the pre-dicament of the Israelis, who today face a militarythreat unlike any they have faced before and forwhich, quite frankly, they are at a loss for a mili-tary solution. The reason, of course, is that there isno purely military solution, as some imagined inthe heady days just after the Six Day War. But bythe same token, any solution will also have a mili-tary component.

We don’t need what we call a “firepowerdemonstration” in which is it is shown that ad-vanced aircraft and missiles in large quantitiescan, if fact, utterly to obliterate some wretchedshepherd’s hut in the mountains of Afghanistan,or kill thousands of mountain goats, or worsestill, thousands of innocent civilians.

Nor do we need to appoint a “terrorism tsar”and engage in a lot of empty talk.

Here is what we need to do, and I thinkUndersecretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz cap-

tured it today when he spoke of the need for a“sustained campaign.”

First, we have to reconstruct the operationthat hit us with such devastating impact. We haveto determine exactly how it was carried out andby whom, and what we did wrong to allow it tohappen.

Then we have to go to our allies and not-so-allies and talk about joint action. The most im-portant thing I learned in my seven years at theNaval War College was that alliances, even morethan technology, are the key to success in war-fare. That means working closely with the Brit-ish, the French—who will sympathize, I think,because a few years ago the Algerian extrem-ists had a plan to hijack a plane and take out theEiffel Tower—and the other Europeans, but alsothe Indians, and the Russians and the Chinese,who will want to horse trade over Chechnya andXinjiang, where they are busy killing their ownMuslims in the name of combating terrorism.And of course the Pakistanis, who are key. I wasgreatly encouraged to hear on the radio, justbefore coming over here, that Secretary Powellis already in touch with them. We have to makeclear that this is a war on extremists and terror-ists, and not on Muslims. If it turns into the sec-ond, then we will have lost it before we haveeven begun.

Finally, once we have unraveled the wholething, we eliminate the terrorist network root andbranch, and kill the people responsible for themurder of innocent Americans.

Some quail at the thought of actually killingterrorists. I was once told about the briefing ofWarren Christopher before the ill fated DesertOne attempt, in the Carter Administration, torescue our hostages from Iran. There will be sen-tries, the briefer told Mr. Christopher, and wewill neutralize them. “You mean you will shootthem?” asked Mr. Christopher. “Yes,” came theanswer. “You mean in the knees or something,you won’t kill them of course.” Mr. Christopherresponded. The briefer nearly fainted. The factis that in war, and in particular in an operationas delicate as Desert One was (which failed) le-thal force is essential.

Under our law, terrorism is seen as a kind ofhomicide, so once they are caught, terrorists goto jail. But it is not a type of homicide, it is avariety of war and should be treated as such.Certainly we must make efforts of every kind tocreate a world in which no one will be driven tosuch desperation as to become a terrorist or asuicide bomber. That is part of the solution, nodoubt. But so, unfortunately, is bloodshed partof the solution.

Let me quote Clausewitz:We are not interested in generals who winvictories without bloodshed. The fact thatslaughter is a horrifying spectacle must make ustake war more seriously, but not provide an

excuse for gradually blunting our swords in thename of humanity. Sooner or later someone willcome along with a sharp sword and hack off ourarms. ( On War, tr. Howard and Paret, p. 260)That is the reality. But lethal force is a very

volatile quantity in international relations, to beused with care and precision.

Let me conclude with the following. Aboveall it will be up to you in the audience to solvethis problem. You hear about war from the old,like me, and from the genuinely elderly, the vet-erans of World War II. But remember that whenthose men saved our country, they were young.Think of Saving Private Ryan. Those soldierswere your age or younger and many of themnever had the opportunity to grow old. Ours is adeeply flawed and imperfect country, but it isalso the freest and most accepting society I knowof. But it can never be taken for granted. It wasnot somehow put here by the ancestors, perma-nently, for our benefit. It survives only becausegeneration after generation of young Americanshave, at some point, understood the stakes—inthe Civil War, in World War II, and renewed ourcivic bonds with their own firm commitments.This is not someone else’s country, it is our coun-try, it is your country. With the events of Tues-day my feeling is that your turn is now at hand.Today, I think, you who are undergraduates noware beginning for the first time to feel that re-sponsibility—to keep America free, and demo-cratic, and sovereign—descending on to yourshoulders. It is an awesome and sacred burden.But I have no doubt that you will rise to theoccasion. I wish you all well.

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should not come at the cost of the very ideals thatmake it worth defending. Let me briefly addressthree sets of concerns arising out of our commit-ments to equality, to liberty and to individualdignity.

America is a nation of immigrants, and anation as Lincoln said, “dedicated to the propo-sition that all are created equal.” Yet in time ofwar there is a temptation to forget this dedica-tion. When the enemy is faceless, we are temptedto see the enemy’s face in those who resemblehim. It is alluring to group people, to say there isno time to deal with them as individuals and tocondemn them wholesale. Those who perpe-trated the barbarities of September 11 made nonice distinctions among their victims; it is invit-ing to say that in time of war we should make nonice distinctions either. And, there is anotheroften subconscious dynamic: when our angerdemands vengeance it is tempting to take thatvengeance vicariously on those who resemblethe perpetrators.

Sadly, America has been down this roadbefore. In the months after the attack on PearlHarbor, impelled by fear of imminent invasionand anger at barbarous attack and the belief thatthere was no time to make nice distinctions theAmerican military rounded up 120,000 Ameri-cans of Japanese origin and imprisoned them ininternment camps. The claim, accepted by theSupreme Court in Korematsu v. US (1945) wasthat by virtue of their ethnic origin, the militarycould predict that some of these Americanswere likely to pose a danger of disloyal actionand that “under conditions of modern warfarewhen our shores are threatened by hostile forces,the power to protect must be commensuratewith the threatened danger.” Yet even at thetime, there was a sense by some that our freedomhad been overwhelmed by our fear; as JusticeMurphy’s dissent pointed out, the official reportjustifying the detention announced in part that“The very fact that no sabotage has taken placeto date is a disturbing and confirming indicationthat such action will be taken.” That sort of logicpersuaded Justice Murphy that the military hadgone “over the brink of constitutional power andinto the ugly abyss of racism”. Time has vindi-cated Justice Murphy; in 1988 Congress passeda statute officially apologizing to the survivors ofthe internment and awarding them reparations.

There is reason to hope that we will not needto apologize for our behavior in today’s crisis;for we are a more tolerant society and truer toour ideals of equality than we were in 1942. Ourallegiance to the obligation to treat each indi-vidual with equal respect, to reject the imposi-tion of ethnic stereotypes is announced by at-tacks on racial profiling from the left and byattacks on racial preferences from the right.Those announcements provide guidance when

we are tempted to turn on our fellow Americans,to bar them from jobs or public transportation orfree movement for reasons of “ security.” So onthis front I am hopeful.

America is also a nation as Lincoln said“conceived in liberty”. Freedom to differ, free-dom to criticize, freedom to call the governmentto account has stood at the root of our self-conception. Yet in time of war, it is all too easyto equate difference with disloyalty, to sacrificedissent and free information on the altar ofmilitary necessity. We have already heard callsto curtail the flow of information to the public onpain of criminal prosecution, and we will doubt-less hear suggestions that those who associatewith critics or dissidents should be shamed orshunned or surveilled or controlled. The diffi-culty, as Justice Powell observed during theVietnam war is the “tendency of government—however benevolent and benign its motives—toview with suspicion those who most ferventlydispute its policies.” We cannot always rely onthe courts to save us from ourselves in thisregard. During the Civil War, Americans wereimprisoned without trial for criticizing militarystrategy; during World War I Americans wereprosecuted for questioning the motives of theirleadership or the legitimacy of the draft; duringthe Cold War and McCarthyism, Americanswere denied employment because of their asso-ciations and investigated for their beliefs.

Yet here, too we may have advanced associety, for we are more open and have morefaith in our resilience than we did a century ago.And, amid the judicial failures in war time, wealso have landmarks that guide us to our prin-ciples. In 1943, in the midst of America’s strugglefor survival in World War II, the West VirginiaBoard of Education demanded that every childbegin the day with a flag salute. When theBarnette family out of their principles asJehovah’s Witnesses refused they found them-selves haled into court, in a case that ultimatelyreached the Supreme Court of the United States.Justice Robert Jackson, the former AttorneyGeneral, acknowledged the importance of pa-triotism in time of war, but held for the Barnettes.His words are worth recalling. He said:

There is no mysticism in the American con-cept of the State or of the nature or origin of itsauthority. We set up government by consent ofthe governed, and the Bill of Rights denies thosein power any legal opportunity to coerce thatconsent. Authority here is to be controlled bypublic opinion, not public opinion by authority.

The case is made difficult not because theprinciples of its decision are obscure but becausethe flag involved is our own. Nevertheless, weapply the limitations of the Constitution with nofear that freedom to be intellectually and spiritu-ally diverse or even contrary will disintegratethe social organization. .... When they are so

harmless to others or to the State as those wedeal with here, the price is not too great. Butfreedom to differ is not limited to things that donot matter much. That would be a mere shadowof freedom. The test of its substance is the rightto differ as to things that touch the heart of theexisting order.

If there is any fixed star in our constitu-tional constellation, it is that no official, high orpetty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox inpolitics,nationalism, religion.... If there are anycircumstances which permit an exception, theydo not now occur to us.The temptations to curtail the freedom of

speech and association that makes democracywork in the coming days will not come fromignoble motives. They will come from fear anda properly high concern for the safety and futureof our country.

But good motives are not enough, and thereis reason to hope that we will remember JusticeRobert Jackson rather than Senator JosephMcCarthy. In the modern era, our regard forfreedom to differ has protected protesters whoburn the American flag, notwithstanding thecosts to patriotism just as it has protected BoyScouts who exclude gay leaders notwithstand-ing the costs to equality. We have sustainedthese costs and grown as a society; when we areasked to trade liberties of speech and associationfor the perceived necessities of the coming daysI am optimistic that we will remember that wecan sustain costs in order to retain our freedom.

Finally, let me say a word about privacy.Seventy years ago, in the midst of Prohibition,American authorities struggled against what wasperceived as a widespread, covert and insidiousevil: the illegal sale of liquor. In response, theydeployed what was then a modern investigativetechnique: the wiretap. Justice Louis Brandeis—dissenting at the time—did not dispute theproposition that the wiretaps were effective, heraised questions however about the degree towhich America’s constitutional order permittedthem to be deployed without judicial oversight.As he put the matter,

The makers of our Constitution....recognizedthe significance of man’s spiritual nature, of hisfeelings and of his intellect. They knew that onlya part of the pain, pleasure and satisfactions of lifeare to be found in material things. They sought toprotect Americans in their beliefs, their thoughts,their emotions and their sensations. They con-ferred, as against the Government, theright to belet alone—the most comprehensive of rights andthe right most valued by civilized men. Experi-ence should teach us to be most on our guard toprotect liberty when the Government’s purposesare beneficent. Men born to freedom are naturallyalert to repel invasion of their liberty by evil-mindedrulers. The greatest dangers to liberty lurk ininsidious encroachment by men of zeal,well-meaning but without understanding.

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Ian Lustick is Merriam Term Professor ofPolitical Science at Penn and a key figure inPenn’s Asch Center for the study ofethnopolitical conflict. His expertise lies incomparative politics, international politics,organizational theory, the expansion andcontraction of states, and Middle East affairs.His present research focuses on the future ofJerusalem and great power rivalries in theMiddle East. Professor Lustick is therecipient of many fellowship awards, has heldleadership positions both in the School ofArts and Sciences and professionalorganizations, and is currently a member ofthe Council on Foreign Relations.Dispelling Misconceptions

The function of professional intellectuals, ina free society, is to stand with that society andyet also always, even when it is uncomfortable,to apply critical faculties to popular notions.

I want to talk briefly about several suchnotions:

First, I do identify with one popular notion:It was Osama bin Laden’s groups.

Quoting one head of German intelligence:The type of motivation, the choice of targets,the military approach, the apparent motive, theprofessional preparation, the extent of finan-cial resources involved and the repeat attacksindicate that the culprits can be found in theentourage of Osama bin Laden. (Frank-WalterSteinmeier)

Four Popular Misconceptions:That this has to do directly with Israel and thePalestinians.

Those who destroyed the twin towers in NewYork or blow up train stations and pizza parlorsin Israel do not do so because of specific out-rages or policy mistakes by the American or theIsraeli government. Personal history or deepemotional or ideological reasons drove them todo such things regardless of particular circum-stances. What can inhibit them, however, is thepresence of real hope for the future by masses ofordinary people, a condition which they canimagine would lead the masses to reject themand their acts of terrorism, rather than celebratetheir martyrdom.

On the one hand, while there is no question thatU.S. ties to Israel, including Washington’s failureto distance itself from the aggravating anti-Pales-tinian policies of the Israeli government, is thesingle biggest red-flag for Muslims and the singlemost useful wedge issue for the wild Islamists intheir appeals to the masses. But I believe thisparticular attack and its timing is related more toevents in Afghanistan and the Muslim world as awhole than in Israel or Palestine.

Let me suggest one possibility.Ahmed Shah Massoud was defense minister

in the previous Afghan government—a brilliantand charismatic commander who has led theNorthern Alliance opposition to the Taliban.The Northern Alliance controls between 5 and30% of Afghanistan. In the spring he conducteda very successful tour of Europe and receivedgreat support from European countries and theEU. He was planning to visit the United States.On Sunday he was the victim of two Arabsuicide bombers. It appears he was killed. I seethis as a contract hit by bin Laden for a Talibangovernment that feared Massoud and who willprotect bin Laden—protection he knew he wouldneed to survive the repercussions of the spec-tacular acts of terrorism his operatives havebeen planning against American targets hereand in Europe.

That actions by some give evidence about all.African Americans cheering, looting, and

murdering while Los Angeles neighborhoodsburn tell us nothing about tens of millions ofAfrican Americans struggling to build anAmerica of justice, freedom, and equality.

Some young Palestinians dancing and en-joying “sweets from bin Laden” tell us nothingabout the heartfelt sorrow and shock of BeitSahour, ordinary Palestinians, or even Arafathimself (giving blood).

25 Muslim fundamentalist killers tell us noth-ing about Muslim children in an Australian busunder attack or about millions of Muslim andArab Americans.

Jewish settlers with yarmulkes and Israeli

Today, the threats with which we strugglemake the dangers of the speakeasy or gin millquaint, and Justice Brandeis’ choice seems inretrospect an easy one. By contrast, the dangerswe face from terrorism go to the root of civilizedsociety. If we cannot go to work without fear offire from the sky, our right “to be let alone” willbe of little value. Yet the investigative resourcesat the disposal of the government today dwarfthe capacities of the government in JusticeBrandeis’ time, and it seems to me that we musttake care with the structures we put in place inresponse to this crisis, for we will live with themfor years into the future Whatever sacrifices wemake must be measured ones, and as JusticePowell put it in rejecting the claim of PresidentNixon for an uncontrolled right to wiretap in theinterests of national security “the price of unlaw-ful public dissent must not be a dread of subjec-tion to unchecked surveillance.”

We have been attacked and that attack hasbeen made easier by the openness of our society;we have been put in fear and that fear is moredifficult to dispel because of our idealism. Butthat openness and that idealism are the basis ofour strength and our hope; we must not purchasetoday’s peace of mind by abandoning the libertyof our future.

soldiers bulldozing Palestinian homes tell usnothing about masses of Israeli and other Jewsyearning for a just, secure, and fair peace in theMiddle East.

That we have had a massive intelligencefailure caused by the abandonment of HUMINT.

Virtually impossible to infiltrate these orga-nizations. We must rely heavily on electronicand other remote means, but what can and mustchange is the relationship between the exter-nally directed reconnaissance apparatus in theCIA, DIA, and NSA, and the internally directedlaw enforcement apparatus: FBI. Absence ofarrests and action following information fromAhmed Ressam in U.S. compared to Europestrongly suggests that organizational rivalriescombined with understandable concerns aboutcivil liberties are interfering with the effectivecoordination of our own capabilities.

Also, our indulgence in the dreams of com-plete immunity, old thinking about threats ICBMthreats, spending hundreds of billions on bizarreschemes of unworkable missile defense, andwasting comparable resources on the so-calledwar on drugs, have distracted our leaders fromthe new, distributed, low intensity, but funda-mentally dangerous threats we really face in ourpost-cold war globalizing shrunken world. SamNunn and others have warned repeatedly of thiskind of threat.

Final popular and wrong belief: That this isthe result of a blind irrational force of evil andnot in part a consequence of our own behaviorand status.

Many of the terrorists associated with binLaden, and the whole arrangement of well-funded, dispersed, autonomous, extremely welltrained, confident, and fanatical cells he hascreated, originated with our “brilliant” adven-ture in Afghanistan using Saudi money, Paki-stani bases, and Islamic fundamentalist martyrsto fight the Soviets. Algerians, Egyptians, Tuni-sians, Muslims from everywhere came to Af-ghanistan to train with our weapons under thetutelage of bin Laden and others like him.

This is indeed a small world, a delicate world.We’re the rich and visible elephant within it. We’reso big that when we move, even when we don’tmove, we affect others, but we also massivelyaffect the world we live in as well. In our Rambolike adventure in Afghanistan, in our callous atti-tude toward the slaughter of Muslims in Algeria, asin Vietnam, and elsewhere, we sowed the wind,and we are reaping the whirlwind.

In this war, and I agree this is a war, we mustdo all we can to be sure that our sword is sharpand wielded smartly, not broad and wieldedfuriously. We need to fight so as to plant theseeds of justice, equity, mutual recognition, andpeace, not causeless hatred and an arrogance oftemporary power.

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Robert Vitalis is Associate Professor in thePolitical Science Department and Director ofthe Middle East Center. He joined Penn’sfaculty in 1999 and has become a popularteacher of courses on modern Middle Eastpolitics and American foreign affairs.Professor Vitalis’ research interests lie inpolitical economic developments in theMiddle East and the impact of race relationson the formulation of foreign policy.

Analytical DistanceThis University is a great place. It allows me to

do this thing. I’m having a disconnect in all theconversations about America and its greatness. Ibelieve and feel the things that you feel today. Thedisconnect is this: that this University allows me totell you something that most Saudis don’t knowabout their own history that I want to tell you aboutand that most Americans won’t recognize abouttheir own history. This is why I’m kind of dismayedsometimes by what I’ve been hearing in the pastfew days in discussions about Osama bin Laden.

I’m writing a book about it that I call America’sKingdom, about the early days of the United Statesand Saudi Arabia and it was in those momentswhen Osama bin Laden’s father was first comingup out of an impoverished existence that I’m inter-ested in. It’s at those moments when America ruleda place called Saudi Arabia, more or less. It was thedays when the first King of Saudi Arabia told theAmericans, your people treat my people worsethan we treat dogs in this country. That was thesame year that the American ambassador to SaudiArabia wrote in his last dispatch back to Washing-ton about how he couldn’t decide whether to con-sider Saudis dogs or children. This was a tricky onein terms of their psyches. But it was also about aking that Harry Truman said “with a few milliondollars we can do whatever we want with.”

It’s that moment long ago in Saudi Arabia in aplace where Americans would not let Saudis sit ontheir own soil, where Americans were living andtold them they had to use bathrooms that were forSaudis alone, could not use water fountains thatAmericans drank from and would not have thesame rights, would not get the same benefits. It’sthat moment that I’m writing about and those arethe distant origins of this place, I guess, the UnitedStates; and it’s place in the world, that we forgetwhen we talk about how great it is at any momentor what its values are or how it’s constantly climb-ing up the ladder to greater and greater equality andfreedom, etc., or those values that are most impor-tant. Because many, many other people know adifferent story about this state. And the Universitylets me say, lets me think about that. There are veryfew other spaces where I could think about that.The Saudis won’t allow me to say it. The oil fromthe Saudis keeps me out of the country because I’msaying it. Why? Because that’s a kingdom today toquote the Washington Post “that runs a medieval

torture regime shrouded in feudal secrecy.” Andyet it is our closest ally in the region besides Israeland we’ve been very close to for forty years.

I love this country. In the past few days we’veall been defining ourselves as part of a country. Ifeel connected to you guys in a way that I hadn’tbeen before. But then a week ago I was telling atleast some of you, you and I are a community hereat the University. There are these two communitiesthat I’m kind of in love with right now—thecountry and the University—and there’s a tensionbetween those two communities, in some sense. Itseems to me the University requires us, forces us,obliges us, to step back from the discussions that goon as a nation, the patriotism, the revenge, thehatred, the passions, and try to get some analyticaldistance to think this through. And the Universityrequires us to do that and it tries to make it safe todo so. It’s important to make it safe to do so,particularly at moments like this, because it’s atmoments like this these things that I’m saying nowcould prove costly. And other moments when thereare possibilities for war—or possibilities of vio-lence or of the intervention—that people sayingthat I’m talking about today would get them intotrouble. So I respect that about the University. Usethis argument that I’m making about requiring youto get some analytical distance on the past few daysto embrace what the University is, that would dothat because it’s also a coping strategy. It’s been acoping strategy for me for the last few days to juststep back and think about it or to say I’m going tothink analytically for a second, not like a pundit, notlike someone calling for I’m ready to decide whogets to die tomorrow and we’ll figure out later whatcountry it’s going to be.

There’s another important thing about thismoment. See how you felt for the past few days?Now it’s hit you. How you’ve seen everyone justgoing crazy. I’ve been sitting crying listening to thestories about a son calling up their mother at the lastminute on a plane and sort of saying I love you verymuch. You know how bad you felt at that moment?You know how angry you feel now? There is thebeginning of wisdom. Take that understanding thatyou yourselves are experiencing now because youget the chance, it seems to me for the first time in along time, if you care to use it, to think about howother people are feeling about this country in thecourse of a long war it has waged with many, manypeople. Reasonably or not, their conceptions of thatis right or not—it’s direct rule or not, whateverstereotypes they also exercise—they feel that an-ger and rage because they know people who havedied. They have relatives who have died, peoplewho know people or imagine they do or constructstories about the wars waged upon them by the statethat we celebrate, sometimes as the single remain-ing super-power, the beacon of light—those are thestories they construct about us and its that rage thatthey feel that lead to events like this at least in part.

I’m agreeing with all my colleagues, but it’s

worth repeating, these are not crazy people. Theyare people like me and you. Here’s why, and this istrue, and I’ve got a dumb way of thinking about it.I don’t know what you guys have been doing, thenew Buffy’s not on yet, at any rate, right? TheSopranos are not on, I don’t know if you have HBOin your dorms yet, but HBO just started running anew series Band of Brothers, a ten part series aboutWWII. If you don’t get HBO, run with this ex-ample: Saving Private Ryan. Here’s the point aboutBand of Brothers and Saving Private Ryan: insome sense they tried to de-romanticize the processof warfare. If you remember Saving Private Ryan,all these guys that you were starting to love reallyearly in the movie, what happens? First invasion alot of people get killed really quickly. The HBOseries, during the first two hours, about one hourforty-five minutes is showing you these eight or tenguys going through seven or nine months of basictraining in order to be able to make them do thethings that they were about to do. It’s to go fight inthe war, part of the invasion of Normandy. Theyhad to be turned into machines to carry out thisprocess because they are ordinary people and theyhad to be convinced in order to do this thing.

Now we call one set of folks suicide bombers,crazies and terrorists. These folks understood, asthey were about to parachute down into Normandy,that there was a very, very good chance that theywere going to die as a part of this process. And wedon’t call them crazy, understanding that they areprobably going to die in defense of some project orother—we call them heroes, or patriots and I don’tthink there’s any difference in the sense of thepsyches of the folks who are doing the acts that wewitnessed in the past few days. They have a project;they’ve been trained to do it; there might be a hopeagainst hope of surviving but they understand thatthey are doing it for some other greater good.

I’ll finally give you one more point and maybethis is going to be the hardest one because I thoughtof it this morning as I was walked in on the campusand I saw the editorial in the Daily Pennsylvanian,that led me to make the following call: that weexercise a little humility right now at this keymoment. Just be a little quiet and think throughwhat we’re claiming. Take that analytical distanceagain. Do we really believe that this is the worsttragedy in the nation’s history? By rewriting thepast that way, you do some great injustices I think.I want people to think hard about that instead ofreaching for what seems the fastest thing that theycan think of. Do we really think that the rest of theworld is suffering like the Penn campus from theterrible calamity? I don’t know what it means toclaim the rest of the world is doing something else.But if we had to be a little analytical about it, Iwould guess that that is not a true statement. Thatis very, very far from true about the world at-large.So again, the analytical distance, the humility, thestopping and thinking and we’ll do the right thingat this moment.

ALMANAC September 18, 200110 www.upenn.edu/almanac

Regulatory Affairs MovesThe Office of Regulatory Affairs is

moving on October 5. We are the Institu-tional Review Board for the University ofPennsylvania, the University of Pennsyl-vania Hospital, the Veterinary School,Presbyterian Hospital, Pennsylvania Hos-pital etc. We will be moving to:Mezzanine Level, Mellon Bank Building

133 S. 36th StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19104-3246

—Office of Regulatory Affairs TransCoop Program 2002Within the framework of the TransCoop Pro-

gram, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundationprovides funds for cooperative research betweenGerman, U.S., and/or Canadian scholars in thefields of the humanities, social sciences, eco-nomics, and law. The funds are supplied by theGerman Federal Ministry of Education and Re-search. The maximum duration of sponsorshipfor a TransCoop project is three years.

The TransCoop Program offers opportuni-ties to researchers from universities and otherresearch institutions in all three countries. Prior-ity is given to new research initiatives central tothe disciplines cited above. However, jointprojects may also address topics from within thenatural sciences, including engineering and lifesciences, which are closely related to the hu-manities or social sciences.

The amount of funding is variable and maybe used for:• Short-term research visits at the partner’s insti-tute for up to three months per year• Travel expenses• Conference organization (maximum 20% oftotal)

9th Annual Penn Family Day: Saturday October 20The President, Provost and Executive Vice President invite all Penn faculty and staff, their family

and friends to come enjoy food, fun, football and University Museum family activities at the ninthannual Penn Family Day, which will be held on Saturday, October 20, 2001. Complimentary parkingwill be available at the 34th & Chestnut Streets garage with Penn ID.

Tickets are required for the picnic and the football game.Prior to October 11: return the ticket request form, found in the upcoming brochure or on the web at

www.hr.upenn.edu/quality/staffrecognition/familyday.asp, to the Penn Athletic Ticket Office (WeightmanHall/6322) and the tickets will be mailed to your campus address. Tickets may also be picked up in personat Weightman Hall.

After October 11: late orders will be held at Franklin Field on Saturday, October 20.The schedule is as follows:11 a.m.: Tailgate Party and Fun at Franklin Fieldnorth side, between the Stadium and tennis courts(tickets required)

• Free for faculty, staff, family and friends• Menu: Grilled Chicken or Veggie Wrap, Pasta Salad,

Fruit Salad, Cookie, Assorted Beverages• Optional children’s lunch: cheese, peanut butter & jelly,

crackers, raisins, fruit, cookies and juice• Entertainment: Penn Marching Band, Penn Cheerleaders,

Face Painting, Inflatable Moon Bounce-Slide, Basketball Tossand Balloon Clown

noon: Penn vs. Yale Football Gameon Franklin Field, 33rd & Spruce (tickets required)

• Free for faculty and staff• $2 each for family and friends.

11 a.m.-4 p.m.: Activities at the University MuseumUniversity of Pennsylvania Museum, 34th and Spruce (open 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.)

• Free with PENNcard for faculty and staff, and their family and friends(No advance ticket is required)

Modern Mongolia: Reclaiming Genghis KhanJoin in the Festivities• New Exhibition with materials and archival photos from the

National Museum of Mongolian History• Mongolian music and performances• Arts and crafts• Special children’s activities

Quality of Worklife WorkshopsHuman Resources is pleased to offer work-

shops for the fall semester on topics related todependent care issues and emotional well-be-ing. For a complete listing of these workshopsand instructions on how to register on-line go towww.hr.upenn.edu/quality/workshop.asp.

These hour-long workshops (with an op-tional hour following the presentation for dis-cussions and role-play) are presented by expertsfrom Ceridian Performance Partners, ourLifeBalance provider, and PENN-Friends, ourEmployee Assistance Program.

September 20, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., DealingWith Uncertainty, Room 311, Houston Hall

Oct. 4, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Where Will MyOlder Relative Live?, Room 311, Houston Hall

Oct. 18, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Handling the Jobof Customer Service, Room 223, Houston Hall

Nov. 1, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.. The Nuts and Boltsof Choosing Child Care, Room 223, Houston Hall

Nov. 15, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Beating the Win-ter Blues, Room 223, Houston Hall,

Questions? Contact Orna Rosenthal at (215)898-5116 or rosenthal@hr.upenn.edu. Please feelfree to bring a brown bag lunch to these sessions.

—Division of Human Resources

Penn Leuven ExchangeApplications are invited from all Penn faculty interested in participating in Penn’s exchange with

the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (K.U.Leuven) in Belgium. For more information seewww.kuleuven.ac.be/kuleuven/KUL_en.html. Round-trip economy airfare and a modest per diemare provided for teaching and research visits of at least one month and not more than one semester.Knowledge of Dutch is not required. A faculty host at K.U.Leuven must be identified. Applicationdeadline for spring 2002 short-term and fall 2002 semester-long faculty exchanges is Monday,October 15, 2001. Inquiries concerning later visits are welcome. For an application form and furtherinformation, please contact Elva E. Power, Office of International Programs, 133 Bennett Hall/6275,(215) 898-1640 or by e-mail: power@pobox.upenn.edu.

Careers in Academe:September 25, October 16

To register for the Thirteenth Annual Aca-demic Career Conference, co-sponsored by Ca-reer Services and the Deputy Provost, send an e-mail message to vick@pobox.upenn.edu or call(215) 898-7530.Going on the Academic Job MarketSeptember 25, Terrace Room, Logan Hall

4-5:15 p.m. Interviewing for Academic Jobs:What to Expect; Emily Steiner, assistant profes-sor of English; Doris Wagner, assistant profes-sor of biology.

5:15-6:30 p.m. The Academic Job Search:Hiring from the Search Committee’s Perspec-tive; Ralph Breck Taylor, professor and depart-ment chair, criminal justice, Temple; BernardMangiaracina, chair of Humanities Division,Montgomery County Community College; NancyBonini, professor of biology.The Insiders’ Guide to Graduate Education atPenn: A Program for First- and Second-YearPh.D. StudentsOctober 16, Ben Franklin Room, Houston Hall

4-5:30 p.m What you and your departmentcan expect from each other; Peter Conn, DeputyProvost; advanced doctoral students/recentPh.D.’s, including Michelle Karnes, English,Becky Gusic, bioengineering, LouiseWoodstock, communications and BenjaminTodd, Classical studies, moderated by Conn,will give first-hand advice.

There will be two more sessions of the con-ference during the spring semester.

• Material and equipment• Printing costs• Staff costs for research assistants working onthe cooperative project, e.g. collecting and analysingdata (maximum 20 % of total)

Grant Procedure: Applications for 2002should be submitted jointly by at least one Ger-man and one U.S. and/or Canadian scholar andshould be signed by at least two partners. Thepartners should have completed their doctoraldegrees and should have conducted post-doc-toral research.

The program selection committee choosesthe proposals to be funded based on the follow-ing criteria:• the originality of the research project—the aca-demic qualifications of the applicants—the project’spotential for strengthening transatlantic cooperation

Decisions are based solely on scholarly meritas documented in the application. The applica-tion deadline is October 31, 2001.

Application forms may be obtained from theAvH or may be downloaded from the website:www.humboldt-foundation.de. For further ques-tions, contact Johannes Belz or Christine May(Tel: 0228/833-137, e-mail: my@avh.de).

—Dr. Joyce M. Randolph, Executive Director, Office of International Programs (OIP)

ALMANAC September 18, 2001 11www.upenn.edu/almanac

The University of Pennsylvania values diversity and seeks talentedstudents, faculty and staff from diverse backgrounds. The University ofPennsylvania does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, sexualorientation, religion, color, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, orstatus as a Vietnam Era Veteran or disabled veteran in the administrationof educational policies, programs or activities; admissions policies; schol-arship and loan awards; athletic, or other University administered pro-grams or employment. Questions or complaints regarding this policyshould be directed to Valerie Hayes, Executive Director, Office of Affirma-tive Action,3600 Chestnut Street, 2nd floor, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6106or (215) 898-6993 (Voice) or (215) 898-7803 (TDD).

Suite 211 Nichols House3600 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6106Phone: (215) 898-5274 or 5275 FAX: (215) 898-9137E-Mail: almanac@pobox.upenn.eduURL: www.upenn.edu/almanac/

The University of Pennsylvania Police DepartmentCommunity Crime Report

About the Crime Report: Below are all Crimes Against Persons and Crimes Against Society from thecampus report for September 3 through September 9, 2001. Also reported were 25 Crimes AgainstProperty: (including 18 thefts, 1 retail theft, 4 burglaries and 2 vandalism). Full reports on the Web(www.upenn.edu/almanac/v48/n04/crimes.html). Prior weeks’ reports are also on-line.—Ed.This summary is prepared by the Division of Public Safety and in cludes all criminal incidents reported and madeknown to the University Police Department between the dates of September 3 and September 9, 2001. TheUniversity Police actively patrols from Market Street to Baltimore Avenue and from the Schuylkill River to 43rdStreet in conjunction with the Philadelphia Police. In this effort to provide you with a thorough and accurate reporton public safety concerns, we hope that your increased awareness will lessen the opportunity for crime. For anyconcerns or suggestions regarding this report, please call the Division of Public Safety at (215) 898-4482.

10 incidents and 4 arrests (including 4 robberies, 4 aggravated assaults and 2 rapes ) were reported betweenSeptember 3 and September 9, 2001 by the 18th District covering the Schuylkill River to 49th Street andMarket Street to Woodland Avenue.

The University of Pennsylvania’s journal of record, opinion andnews is published Tuesdays during the academic year, and asneeded during summer and holiday breaks. Its electronic edi-tions on the Internet (accessible through the PennWeb) includeHTML and Acrobat versions of the print edition, and interiminformation may be posted in electronic-only form. Guidelines forreaders and contributors are available on request.EDITOR Marguerite F. MillerASSOCIATE EDITOR Margaret Ann MorrisASSISTANT EDITOR Tina BejianSTUDENT ASSISTANTS Clarette Kim; Chris McFall;

William YeohALMANAC ADVISORY BOARD: For the Faculty Senate, MartinPring (Chair), Helen Davies, David Hackney, Phoebe Leboy,Mitchell Marcus, Joseph Turow. For the Administration, Lori N.Doyle. For the Staff Assemblies, Michele Taylor, PPSA; KarenPinckney, A-3 Assembly; David N. Nelson, Librarians Assembly.

RESEARCH

CLASSIFIEDS—UNIVERSITY

•To place a classified ad, call (215) 898-5274.

Almanac is not responsible for contents of classified ad material.

CLASSIFIEDS—PERSONAL

Volunteers Needed for early menopausalwomen bone density research study. TheUniversity of Pennsylvania Health System seeksvolunteers for a bone density medical research study.If you meet the following description, you might beeligible to participate: female ages 45-55, nomenstrual periods for at least 6 months. Volunteerswill be compensated for their involvement. Pleasecontact: Helen Peachey at (215) 898-5664.

Are You Post-Menopausal? and Do You HaveHigh Cholesterol? If Yes, Are you WorriedAbout your Risk for Heart Disease? Doctors atThe University of Pennsylvania are conductingan exciting new study for post-menopausalwomen with high cholesterol. Participants willreceive a painless test called an Ultrafast CT(EBT) scan that will provide information aboutthe amount of calcium buildup in the arteries.Calcium build-up in the arteries is an early featureof atherosclerotic plague formation. Doctors wantto test the effects of cholesterol-lowering drugs,Lipitor or Pravachol, to reduce calcium build-up inthe blood vessels of the heart. All participants willreceive either Lipitor or Pravachol. Compensation willbe provided for time and effort. If you would like tohear more information and see if you qualify for thestudy, please call Melissa Fair at (215) 662-9056.

If you have hypertension or hypertension plus stableType 2 diabetes, please call to learn about excitingupcoming research trials. Most visits take place inthe morning. Renumeration varies per study. Forinformation, call Virginia Ford @ (215) 662-2638.

18th District Report

FOR RENTFor rent in Cape May, N. J. 4 bedroom historichome. Discounted September rates. $975/week.Please call (215) 572-1140.

UpdateSEPTEMBER AT PENN

THERAPYCompetent psychotherapy: group, family andindividual. Please call for an appointment: ShariD. Sobel, Ph.D. (215) 747-0460.

Do you have high cholesterol? Doctors atPenn are launching a novel new research studylooking at two well-known cholesterol loweringagents. The study involves several visits to theHospital of the University of Pennsylvania. If youhave elevated cholesterol levels, are not cur-rently taking any lipid-lowering medications, andthink you might be interested in this study,please contact David Berezich atberezich@mail.med.upenn.edu or (215) 662-9040. Compensation is provided.

Are you responsible for some of the118,000 hits to Almanac’s website last week?Get on board Express Almanac: To register,send an e-mail message with “subscribe” asthe Subject to almanac@ pobox.upenn.eduand include your name, e-mail address, andmailing address. —Ed.

Help Wanted: Work-Study StudentsPositions available at Almanac. Duties in-

clude desktop publishing, web design and main-tenance, proofreading, research. Send e-mail tomorrisma@pobox.upenn.edu.

09/03/01 4:34 PM 100 S 42nd St. Complainant robbed by unknown male09/04/01 6:42 AM 3700 Sansom St. Property taken from construction site09/04/01 9:59 PM 3601 Walnut St. Suspect took books/attempted to return same for

payment/Arrest09/05/01 1:41 PM 100 S 36th St. Complainant receiving unwanted calls09/06/01 12:13 PM 3620 Hamilton Wk. Unauthorized charges made on credit card09/06/01 2:05 PM 4105 Walnut St. Complainant struck in jaw/Arrest09/06/01 2:21 PM 4103 Walnut St. Door forced open and property taken09/06/01 6:30 PM 4103 Walnut St. Residence entered/property taken09/06/01 9:30 PM 3700 Spruce St. Male sleeping on bench/Wanted on warrant/Arrest09/07/01 1:53 PM 3809 Locust Walk Various items taken from residence09/07/01 6:55 PM 3131 Walnut St. Male lying on ground with empty liquor bottle/Arrest09/08/01 8:15 AM 3820 Locust Walk Vehicle damaged while parked09/08/01 10:02 PM 4200 blk. Locust Complainant robbed by unknown male09/08/01 11:58 PM 300 blk. S 41st St. Male running across vehicles/Arrest09/08/01 12:19 AM 3680 Walnut St. Unauthorized male in building/Arrest09/09/01 3:01 AM 41st/Sansom Sts. Male urinating in public/Cited09/09/01 10:22 PM 3800 Ludlow St. Unknown male attempted to rob complainant

MUSIC23 Long Live Fairie Oriana: English Sing Trib-ute to Queen Elizabeth I; Diana Barnhart, soprano;Jeff Nations, piano; 3 p.m.; Philadelphia CathedralChapel; $10 /$8-students and seniors; info.: (215) 386-0234 (Philadelphia Cathedral).

READING

25 Reading, Discussion and Reception with MaxApple; author of The Oranging of America andOthers Stories as well as peices for Esquire andthe New York Times; 8 p.m.; Kelly Writers House(Kelly Writers House).

SPECIAL EVENT

25 Reception for artist Jerry Di Falco; painterwho works in oil, watercolor and acrylic; 6-7:45p.m.; Kelly Writers House (Kelly Writers House)

TALKS19 The Use of SIV/HIV Chimeric Viruses in Studies ofLentiviruses Pathogenesis; Susan Ross, microbiology;noon; Auditorium, CRB (Microbiology).25 Time Felt, Time Understood: A guide for thePerplexed; J.T. Fraser, founder of the InternationalSociety for the Study of Time; 5:30 p.m.; room200, College Hall (Penn Humanities Forum).

09/03/01 4:30 PM 100 42nd St. Robbery09/06/01 4:00 PM 4103 Walnut Aggravated Assault/Arrest09/07/01 5:50 AM 543 49th St Aggravated Assault/Arrest09/07/01 5:50 AM 543 49th St. Aggravated Assault/Arrest09/07/01 9:00 AM 4800 Spruce Rape/Arrest09/08/01 7:45 PM 3400 Civic Ctr. Rape09/09/01 1:19 AM 4901 Baltimore Aggravated Assault/Arrest09/09/01 10:00 PM 4200 Locust Robbery09/09/01 12:49 AM 100 42nd St. Robbery09/09/01 10:42 PM 3800 Ludlow Robbery

HELP WANTEDResearch Technician Wanted: Positionavailable in highly active NIH fundedcardiovascular research laboratory involved inlarge animal research. Responsibilities wouldinclude preparing for and assisting with largeanimal surgical procedures. Excellentopportunity for those interested in career inmedicine or research. For inquiries call (215)662-7892.

Deadlines: The deadline for the weekly update iseach Monday for the following week’s issue; forthe November At Penn calendar it is October 16. Seewww.upenn.edu/almanac/calendar/caldead.html.

ALMANAC September 18, 200112 www.upenn.edu/almanac

The Event that Will Define A GenerationWho could have imagined that such a horrible tragedy could happen

on such a beautiful day? The pandemonium that unfolded before me ontelevision sharply contradicted the cheerful weather streaming throughmy windows. Watching the repeated images of the explosions, crumblingbuildings, and panicked crowds turned my stomach and gave me thechills, even though none of it seemed real. I had witnessed cultural iconsdestroyed on television before, only it happened in movies like Indepen-dence Day and AI. Whoever first said that life imitates art surely couldnot have meant this nightmare.

My thoughts were constantly with my little sister, a junior at NYU.Through a stroke of luck, I contacted her cell phone as she ran throughWashington Square Park. Probably like most people, I spent the day withfriends, hoping that this was just a bad dream. Only late in the evening didreality sink in. I locked myself in my room and listened to my favoriteclassical piece—Beethoven’s 7th Symphony—because I couldn’t bear totalk to anyone anymore. That night, I dreamed of friends who work forthose companies whose offices and headquarters were destroyed. Thefollowing morning, I woke up momentarily happy about the sunshinepeeking around my shade, until I remembered that the sun no longershines for so many people.

Now, a few days after the event that will define my generation, I havebegun to emerge from a quasi-catatonic state in which I simultaneouslythought about both everything and nothing. My attention shifts fromnews broadcast to news broadcast, just like that of numerous otherpeople. Although my mind craves a distraction from this disaster, Icannot pry my focus away from the news. I can only add my hopes to themillions of others that this will all be over as expeditiously as possible.Yet I cannot shake the fact that, September eleventh only catalyzed aprecipitous descent into a dark, war-torn world.

— Margaret Grillo,a senior anthropology major in the College

and an intern at WXPN